Christinah Nku and St John's : one hundred years later

Abstract

In 1906, at Derdepoort (Botswana), a twelve year old Tswana girl, Christinah, experienced the first of a series of divine visions that eventually led to the founding of a powerful African independent church. This article traces the history of Christinah Mokotuli Nku (1894-1988), as well as that of the St John’s Apostolic Faith Mission of South Africa, the church she founded in 1939. The article also briefly examines the history of the St John’s Apostolic Church of Prophecy; the church that ensued from the rift experienced in 1972, and the present attempts at the unification of the St John’s churches, which currently constitute 39 splinter groups. The article is a preliminary history only, owing to the fluidity of the history, which is dependent on oral sources. However, the article is structured around a specific focus, namely healing. The story of Christinah Nku and St John’s, then, will be, firstly, the story of Ma Nku’s vision of the church as a place of healing, secondly, her healing ministry, which was strongly supported by indigenous knowledge, and thirdly, the proposed healing to be effected through the unification of the church.